Our journey begins!Episode 1:
Hubby at the entrance of Castleton SquareWe drove to a shopping mall called Castleton Square, reportedly the largest shopping mall in the whole of Indiana. (But nothing compared to Takashimaya, really.) However, when we stepped into the mall, we realised that many shops had to close because there was a power shortage in the building. :( The lights were off and the cash registers didn't work, so there was no way they could carry on with their business. However, we managed to shop in another part of the mall where the electricity was still running, so it was not a wasted trip.
Episode 2:
The junction with the faulty traffic lights and the accidentAs we drove off from Castleton, we appraoched a junction where there was a huge jam. Upon closer inspection, we saw that the traffic light was flashing yellow, and only yellow. And the traffic police has yet to reach. When we finally drove past that junction, we saw that there was also an accident there, probably a result of the faulty lights too.
Episode 3:
We had dinner at a nice restaurant called The Capital Grille. As I later found out, the restaurant helps to make their guests' dinner extra special by helping them take a photo with a complimentary dessert with the words "Happy Anniversary" on it. They even help to develop the photo on the spot!
However, when it was our turn to have our photos taken, the camera ran out of battery! And even though the waiter went to charge the battery immediately, he did not manage to get it to work at the end of our dinner. We were slightly disappointed, but it was still a very nice dinner anyway.
***
Our trip was planned around places-to-go-and-eat. We really miss dim sum, so we went to a Chinese restaurant called Shen Yang. We also crave seafood and Japanese food, and fellow Singaporean Praveen told as we had to go and try this buffet called The Journey. So that settled our brunch for Saturday and Sunday. As for Sunday night, we chose to pamper ourselves with steak at The Capital Grille.
Shen Yang's dim sum concept is similar to that of traditional Hong Kong dim sum restaurants, with the carts being pushed around. The siew mai and zhu chang fen (with char siew) were pretty good, and comparable to the ones in Chicago. But we were a little disappointed with the har gow. Other good stuff include pork ribs in black bean sauce, fried yam dumpling and erm, a few others which I cannot translate. Overall, we are really happy that we managed to find a decent dim sum place so close to home. (Even though it is a 1h drive away...)
SS and MY's foodie rating: 3.5 out of 5 siew mais
We tried not to raise our expectations for The Journey, despite Praveen's claims. After all, Indiana is nowhere near any body of water (except maybe when it floods), and we have been repeatedly disappointed with the standard of seafood we can find over here.
As we drove into the parking lot, we were surprised that the lot was full, and there were a couple of cars waiting for lots. In the US, this is a sure-sign that the restaurant is popular, and our hopes for good food started to grow again. When we stepped into the restaurant, we were blown away by both how big the restaurant is, and how big the buffet spread is! We walked around the buffet tables to check out the variety. (I have never seen Shisheng move so fast before!) And then we saw it: SASHIMI! Woohoo! We grabbed the plates and started piling. The sushi was really good too, not like those sold in the supermarkets here. Yummy... Besides Jap food, they have a really good American spread (New York strip, baby back ribs, prime rib), Asian spread (coconut prawns, surprisingly good!) and dessert spread (chocolate fondue!) I wish I could eat more, but I only managed to eat three plates. But we will definitely be back!
When we left, there was not only a queue waiting outside the restaurant, there was also a queue at the buffet table! Thank goodness we came early...
SS and MY's foodie rating: 5 out of 5 salmon sashimi!
***
Shen Yang:Shen Yang's dim sum concept is similar to that of traditional Hong Kong dim sum restaurants, with the carts being pushed around. The siew mai and zhu chang fen (with char siew) were pretty good, and comparable to the ones in Chicago. But we were a little disappointed with the har gow. Other good stuff include pork ribs in black bean sauce, fried yam dumpling and erm, a few others which I cannot translate. Overall, we are really happy that we managed to find a decent dim sum place so close to home. (Even though it is a 1h drive away...)
SS and MY's foodie rating: 3.5 out of 5 siew mais
***
The Journey:We tried not to raise our expectations for The Journey, despite Praveen's claims. After all, Indiana is nowhere near any body of water (except maybe when it floods), and we have been repeatedly disappointed with the standard of seafood we can find over here.
As we drove into the parking lot, we were surprised that the lot was full, and there were a couple of cars waiting for lots. In the US, this is a sure-sign that the restaurant is popular, and our hopes for good food started to grow again. When we stepped into the restaurant, we were blown away by both how big the restaurant is, and how big the buffet spread is! We walked around the buffet tables to check out the variety. (I have never seen Shisheng move so fast before!) And then we saw it: SASHIMI! Woohoo! We grabbed the plates and started piling. The sushi was really good too, not like those sold in the supermarkets here. Yummy... Besides Jap food, they have a really good American spread (New York strip, baby back ribs, prime rib), Asian spread (coconut prawns, surprisingly good!) and dessert spread (chocolate fondue!) I wish I could eat more, but I only managed to eat three plates. But we will definitely be back!
When we left, there was not only a queue waiting outside the restaurant, there was also a queue at the buffet table! Thank goodness we came early...
SS and MY's foodie rating: 5 out of 5 salmon sashimi!
***
The Capital Grille:
It is a pretty high-end restaurant, so we did have pretty high expectations. And we were not disappointed!
For appetizers, we ordered pan fried calamari with hot cherry peppers. Before the dish came, I was praying that it will at least be as good as Fish & Co's. (I miss Fish & Co!) And it was! Best calamari I have ever tasted! Not too oily, not too rubbery. And the peppers added a nice kick to it! Yummm...
Another specialty of the restaurant is the lobster mac and cheese. And boy it was good! The balance between the cheese and the pasta and lobster was just nice. Not overpowering. And they added panko flakes on top to add some crsipiness to it.
Both of us ordered steaks for main courses. Shisheng's was a medium rare Filet Oscar, which is a 10 ounce Filet Mignon served with steamed asparagus spears, colossal lump crabmeat, and drizzled with their housemade Béarnaise. And mine was a dry aged sirloin steak with black pepper on it. The steaks were perfectly cooked! The center was pink and warm, and not bloody at all.
Sadly, by the time I came to the main course, I was already full. (Too much calamari... but, it was sooooo good!) In the end, I had to ta pao the steak! It was pretty embarassing... and such a waste of good steak!
All in all, the food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. Our waiter was really knowledgeable with the menu and wines. Shisheng asked him to recommend a wine, and he was really patient while explaining. (He got a riesling white wine in the end.)
SS and MY's foodie rating: 5 out of 5 calamaris! (5.5 if their camera was working)
It is a pretty high-end restaurant, so we did have pretty high expectations. And we were not disappointed!
For appetizers, we ordered pan fried calamari with hot cherry peppers. Before the dish came, I was praying that it will at least be as good as Fish & Co's. (I miss Fish & Co!) And it was! Best calamari I have ever tasted! Not too oily, not too rubbery. And the peppers added a nice kick to it! Yummm...
Another specialty of the restaurant is the lobster mac and cheese. And boy it was good! The balance between the cheese and the pasta and lobster was just nice. Not overpowering. And they added panko flakes on top to add some crsipiness to it.
Both of us ordered steaks for main courses. Shisheng's was a medium rare Filet Oscar, which is a 10 ounce Filet Mignon served with steamed asparagus spears, colossal lump crabmeat, and drizzled with their housemade Béarnaise. And mine was a dry aged sirloin steak with black pepper on it. The steaks were perfectly cooked! The center was pink and warm, and not bloody at all.
Sadly, by the time I came to the main course, I was already full. (Too much calamari... but, it was sooooo good!) In the end, I had to ta pao the steak! It was pretty embarassing... and such a waste of good steak!
All in all, the food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. Our waiter was really knowledgeable with the menu and wines. Shisheng asked him to recommend a wine, and he was really patient while explaining. (He got a riesling white wine in the end.)
SS and MY's foodie rating: 5 out of 5 calamaris! (5.5 if their camera was working)
***
And hubby surprised me with some flowers! (Thank you!!!) He had to liase with the florist and the hotel people so that they will already be in the hotel room when we check in.
And hubby surprised me with some flowers! (Thank you!!!) He had to liase with the florist and the hotel people so that they will already be in the hotel room when we check in.
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